Designed to help students learn about NASA's missions currently studying the sun and its effects on Earth, this second of two storybooks in the series focuses on the importance of collaboration in data acquisition and analysis. Through a series of...(View More) activities, students mine pre-existing data, find trends and patterns in that data, and collect and share related data. The guide concludes with a data challenge for students to design their own experiment using NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites. The book contains teacher companions/guides with instructions and tips for classroom implementation (see Related & Supplemental URLs).(View Less)

The effects of gravity on near-surface objects and those in Earth orbit are explored in this activity. A brief explanation, links to three related videos, a teacher's guide and short assessment are included.

This is a lesson about research tools and skills. Learners will explore the features of Mars through a demonstration of Google Earth Mars, gather, and analyze data from multiple sources on the internet as well as print sources, develop and use...(View More) strategies for reading informational text to systematically find information, understand that Earth and Mars have similar geological features. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, two Vocabulary Cards, and a reading strategy supplement. This is lesson 3 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum.(View Less)

Learners will construct a mock-up of a planetary surface rover. They begin by exploring the importance of engineering in our society, and work as a team to build a prototype of the team's rover using student science notebooks and team sketches as a...(View More) guide. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, and a Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 13 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six-week curriculum.(View Less)

Learners will become familiar with and use the engineering design process to sketch a reasonable drawing of the rover that will be built. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas Standards alignment), Essential...(View More) Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, and a concept map Mini-Lesson. teacher notes, vocabulary, student journal and reading. This is lesson 11 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum.(View Less)

Learners will read about Mars and then examine an unknown sample (such as a sandwich or "fun size" chocolate bar) to determine if the sample could have come from Mars. The lesson uses the 5E instructional model and includes: TEKS Details (Texas...(View More) Standards alignment), Essential Question, Science Notebook, Vocabulary Definitions for Students, Vocabulary Definitions for Teachers, three Vocabulary Cards, and a Mini-Lesson. This is lesson 2 of the Mars Rover Celebration Unit, a six week long curriculum.(View Less)

Learners will investigate, discuss, and determine why humans have always explored the world (and now space) around them. Students determine these reasons for exploration through a class discussion. In the first activity, students use the Internet to...(View More) examine the characteristics of past explorers and why they conducted their exploration. They then examine why current explorers - including the students themselves - want to explore other worlds in the Solar System. By the end of the lesson, the students can conclude that no matter what or when we explore - past, present, or future - the reasons for exploration are the same; the motivation for exploration is universal. Note: The MESSENGER mission to Mercury that is mentioned in this lesson ended operations April 30, 2015. For the latest information about MESSENGER and NASA's solar system missions see the links under Related & Supplemental Resources (right side of this page).(View Less)

In this activity, learners construct a classroom-based Space Weather Action Center and use it to obtain, analyze, and record real solar data on a weekly basis. A set of sequential activities are also provided to engage the audience in making...(View More) informed decisions about space weather using their collected data. Please note a computer with an Internet connection is required to access NASA data. This activity is part of the Space Weather Action Center Educator's Instructors Guide, which follows the 5E learning cycle.(View Less)

In this activity, learners will use the online Space Weather Media Viewer to research answers to a set of questions about space weather, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and sunspots, and explain their impact on Earth and how Earth's...(View More) magnetosphere serves to protect our planet. This activity is part of the Space Weather Action Center Educator's Instructional Guide, which follows the 5E learning cycle.(View Less)

In this lesson, students compare different habitats based on satellite imagery and identify land features in the satellite image. This is lesson 3 in a unit on remote sensing that is a companion to an interactive adventure that uses a Landsat mosaic...(View More) of Arizona as the interface. Students need to interpret satellite imagery to receive clues to Echo the Bat's location. As students find Echo, additional content about remote sensing and biodiversity is introduced.(View Less)